Jeep JL Wrangler Mule Gets Pulled Over in Downtown L.A.!

Jeep enthusiasts everywhere are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new JL Wrangler, expected to hit showrooms sometime in 2018. A few weeks ago, we brought you some conceptual renderings that we believe accurately capture the styling of the JL, which, unsurprisingly, looks very similar to the outgoing JK. We just got these shots of a JL mule driving in downtown Los Angeles, which had the misfortune of being pulled over by L.A.’s finest, reportedly for running a red light.

Through the mesh covering the front grille, the pronounced kink in the grille as speculated by the JL Wrangler Forum is visible, as are the fender-mounted horizontal front driving lights/turn signals. Aside from that, the JL appears to be very much a Wrangler through and through, down to its boxy, upright body, body-on-frame construction, and front and rear live axles. The wish for Jeep to retain this proven formula was made adamantly clear by the legions of Wrangler enthusiasts from coast-to-coast and around the world. Earlier insinuations from FCA and Jeep executives that the Wrangler would be departing from that orthodoxy were met with outrage by the enthusiast and aftermarket community, and Jeep later made it clear that the Wrangler would be as capable as ever and retain its traditional platform and underpinnings.

However, that’s not to say the Wrangler isn’t changing with the times. An eight-speed automatic is believed to be the bread-and-butter transmission, with the main focus being an improvement in fuel economy. A six-speed manual will likely be offered with certain powertrains. Among the powertrains for the JL are believed to be an evolution of the current 3.6L Pentastar V-6, the 3.0L EcoDiesel V-6, a turbocharged I-4, and a possible hybrid. We expect the full official reveal of the Wrangler at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show or sooner.